When I was younger the town constable never stopped a fight, just made sure that it was done as agreed :o..

I grew up in one of these small towns in CT (very close to Newtown). As teenagers we feared a specific older cop. Why? Because he would report you to your parents!!! Rather than say getting a ticket for a traffic violation, he would call your parents. None of us sped in any known speed zone, rolled the stop signs etc when we knew he was on duty. You could pay the fine and hide a traffic ticket from the parents, but not being followed home by him and being forced to tell your parents what you just did. I doubt that would be allowed these days. But which was more effective?